Question about course credit

[shadowgem]

I can't recommend Sophia enough for college algebra.

I like your suggestion but if my institution doesn't accept ACE credit courses for College Algebra which other options I have? I'm certain there are cheap community colleges that offer this course online.

FHSU may accept ACE credits. It looks like they accepted them in the past through the Alternative Credit Project while it existed. However in case they don't, here are a few options you may want to consider.

No matter what choice you make you will need to refresh/relearn College Algebra. If you would prefer a course format to do this, but still want to save money you have a few options. 

New Mexico Junior Community College offers College Algebra online for around $210. You could also check local community colleges in your area to see if they offer online courses which my have cheaper in-state rates for you, although $69 per credit hour is a great price.

Another option may be to take the free ASU EdX Mooc course but pay the $50 to verify it in case you decide to transcript the course through ASU later. But you could also just use the course to thoroughly learn College Algebra enough to be comfortable with an exam option that your school would accept such as the College Algebra Clep which would be completely free by taking advantage of the Modern States voucher program. You could supplement with Khan Academy videos for free. When you complete the Mooc course, get a modernstates voucher and try the CLEP. If it is still too challenging and you are unable to pass, then you have the insurance of still being able to transcript the course through ASU.

According to their Credit By Examination page, they do accept Excelsior exams which are RA credits by exam. Excelsior offers a Precalculus Algebra Uxcel Exam for $110, if that could meet the College Algebra requirement.

You could check to see if they accept TECEPs from TESU which are also RA credits by exam. TESU offers a College Algebra TECEP exam for $150.

It also looks like FHSU offers their own challenge exams including College Algebra for $25 per credit hour as well.

If you do decide to test out using a CBE and need good free study videos, I highly recommend Khan Academy, ProfRobBob or Professor Leonard. Saylor Academy also offers a free College Algebra course that includes a free online textbook, a workbook with practice questions and solutions, and practice quizzes and practice exam that you could use to test your knowledge before attempting any CBE or the CLEP.

[Grinddude]

I can't recommend Sophia enough for college algebra.

I like your suggestion but if my institution doesn't accept ACE credit courses for College Algebra which other options I have? I'm certain there are cheap community colleges that offer this course online.

FHSU may accept ACE credits. It looks like they accepted them in the past through the Alternative Credit Project while it existed. However in case they don't, here are a few options you may want to consider.

No matter what choice you make you will need to refresh/relearn College Algebra. If you would prefer a course format to do this, but still want to save money you have a few options. 

New Mexico Junior Community College offers College Algebra online for around $210. You could also check local community colleges in your area to see if they offer online courses which my have cheaper in-state rates for you, although $69 per credit hour is a great price.

Another option may be to take the free ASU EdX Mooc course but pay the $50 to verify it in case you decide to transcript the course through ASU later. But you could also just use the course to thoroughly learn College Algebra enough to be comfortable with an exam option that your school would accept such as the College Algebra Clep which would be completely free by taking advantage of the Modern States voucher program. You could supplement with Khan Academy videos for free. When you complete the Mooc course, get a modernstates voucher and try the CLEP. If it is still too challenging and you are unable to pass, then you have the insurance of still being able to transcript the course through ASU.

According to their Credit By Examination page, they do accept Excelsior exams which are RA credits by exam. Excelsior offers a Precalculus Algebra Uxcel Exam for $110, if that could meet the College Algebra requirement.

You could check to see if they accept TECEPs from TESU which are also RA credits by exam. TESU offers a College Algebra TECEP exam for $150.

It also looks like FHSU offers their own challenge exams including College Algebra for $25 per credit hour as well.

If you do decide to test out using a CBE and need good free study videos, I highly recommend Khan Academy, ProfRobBob or Professor Leonard. Saylor Academy also offers a free College Algebra course that includes a free online textbook, a workbook with practice questions and solutions, and practice quizzes and practice exam that you could use to test your knowledge before attempting any CBE or the CLEP.

Thank you so much for your input! I have the following questions:
a) If I attempt either the Uxcel or the TECEP exams and pass I assume that the credit will be transfered directly from the associated regionally accredited institution (Excelsior or TESU), correct? In this scenario I think the credit will be accepted except if there is an issue with CR/NC courses.
b) You wrote that the ASU MOOC course cost $50 to verify it to trancript the course. Do you mean to get the credit? I didn't understand that part. The credit cost $400. Please clarify if you were referring to MAT117 or a different course.
c) Do you think that the Uxcel/TECEP exams are easier compared to CLEP/DSST?

Thanks.

[shadowgem]

I can't recommend Sophia enough for college algebra.

I like your suggestion but if my institution doesn't accept ACE credit courses for College Algebra which other options I have? I'm certain there are cheap community colleges that offer this course online.

FHSU may accept ACE credits. It looks like they accepted them in the past through the Alternative Credit Project while it existed. However in case they don't, here are a few options you may want to consider.

No matter what choice you make you will need to refresh/relearn College Algebra. If you would prefer a course format to do this, but still want to save money you have a few options. 

New Mexico Junior Community College offers College Algebra online for around $210. You could also check local community colleges in your area to see if they offer online courses which my have cheaper in-state rates for you, although $69 per credit hour is a great price.

Another option may be to take the free ASU EdX Mooc course but pay the $50 to verify it in case you decide to transcript the course through ASU later. But you could also just use the course to thoroughly learn College Algebra enough to be comfortable with an exam option that your school would accept such as the College Algebra Clep which would be completely free by taking advantage of the Modern States voucher program. You could supplement with Khan Academy videos for free. When you complete the Mooc course, get a modernstates voucher and try the CLEP. If it is still too challenging and you are unable to pass, then you have the insurance of still being able to transcript the course through ASU.

According to their Credit By Examination page, they do accept Excelsior exams which are RA credits by exam. Excelsior offers a Precalculus Algebra Uxcel Exam for $110, if that could meet the College Algebra requirement.

You could check to see if they accept TECEPs from TESU which are also RA credits by exam. TESU offers a College Algebra TECEP exam for $150.

It also looks like FHSU offers their own challenge exams including College Algebra for $25 per credit hour as well.

If you do decide to test out using a CBE and need good free study videos, I highly recommend Khan Academy, ProfRobBob or Professor Leonard. Saylor Academy also offers a free College Algebra course that includes a free online textbook, a workbook with practice questions and solutions, and practice quizzes and practice exam that you could use to test your knowledge before attempting any CBE or the CLEP.

Thank you so much for your input! I have the following questions:
a) If I attempt either the Uxcel or the TECEP exams and pass I assume that the credit will be transfered directly from the associated regionally accredited institution (Excelsior or TESU), correct? In this scenario I think the credit will be accepted except if there is an issue with CR/NC courses.
b) You wrote that the ASU MOOC course cost $50 to verify it to trancript the course. Do you mean to get the credit? I didn't understand that part. The credit cost $400. Please clarify if you were referring to MAT117 or a different course.
c) Do you think that the Uxcel/TECEP exams are easier compared to CLEP/DSST?

Thanks.

a) UExcel exams are graded. You would request your transcript directly from Excelsior College. You can find more information about how to transfer a UExcel Exam on the UExcel Exams transfer page. According to FHSU Excelsior Exams transfer guidelines, the registrar office will process UExcel Exams as transfer hours. They do not specifically list TECEP exams as an option, but they are TESU's version of course challenge exams similar to Excelsior or FHSU. A key difference is they are P/F as opposed to graded credits, so you will want to make sure your school will accept both the TECEP exam and P/F courses. Again, you would just request your transcript directly from TESU to be sent to your registrar office. 

Excel exams are administered by Pearson Vue
TECEP exams can be taken at home. TESU uses ProctorU to proctor their TECEPs.

b) I apologize for the confusion. If you follow the link in my previous post, you will see that yes, this is the same ASU MAT117 course. The Course Syllabus details how you can earn credit through ASU. With EdX courses you have two options. Take the course for free or take the course with ID Verified Status. In order to be eligible for credit in this course you must be ID Verified when you take the final exam for the course. The cost to be ID verified is $50. The final exam is proctored by RPnow using secure software. 

If you pass the exam with an A, B, or C grade and are ID verified when you do so, you are then eligible (not required) to purchase the credit from Arizona State University. So this could be the time to determine if you want to spend $400 to have the course transcripted by ASU for $400 or would you rather attempt another CBE option such as the CLEP, UExcel Exam, or TECEP for cheaper. 

If it were me and I wanted to save money I would probably first attempt the free CLEP via Modern States because you would have just taken a complete course in College Algebra with the advantage of using the ALEKS adaptive learning to fill in your gaps and already successfully passed the EdX/ASU final exam which should fill in any knowledge gaps and build your confidence in taking any challenge exam. By taking the time to learn the subject and fill your existing knowledge gaps, you may find your confidence to take any exam and pass has greatly improved. Or you may find that being done is worth the $400 to have the course added to an ASU transcript.

c) I think someone would need to have experience in taking all options in order to be able to answer this question for you. That said, I don't think any of these exam options would feel as daunting if you were more comfortable with the subject matter. So I think building your confidence up by mastering the subject will be what makes any exam appear much easier. The study guides for each exam clearly outlines the key concepts that will be tested, so as long as you feel comfortable that you have learned the material you will be tested on, I think you will find you are comfortable with any option. 

The ASU course and the TECEP both offer the convenience of being able to take the exam from the comfort of home. Being in a familiar testing environment can make an exam easier just because you may be more comfortable in the environment you are testing in. The CLEP exam will be easiest on your budget (free) and has an enormous amount of feedback and practice exams readily available which could certainly making preparing for and testing out of the course much easier just given the amount of resources available to feel more prepared to do so.

[mysonx3]

I have the unique experience of having taken both the ASU course and the CLEP for College Algebra. Note that with the ASU class, your entire grade is based on the exam, so there's no real difference between it and the CLEP except that ASU costs $400 more. If you like the ALEKS setup in the ASU class, then once you've completed that material, take the CLEP. If you don't pass, then try the final exam for ASU. Note that the practice exam is almost identical to the actual exam, so if you can do well on the one you'll do well on the other.

[Grinddude]

I have the unique experience of having taken both the ASU course and the CLEP for College Algebra. Note that with the ASU class, your entire grade is based on the exam, so there's no real difference between it and the CLEP except that ASU costs $400 more. If you like the ALEKS setup in the ASU class, then once you've completed that material, take the CLEP. If you don't pass, then try the final exam for ASU. Note that the practice exam is almost identical to the actual exam, so if you can do well on the one you'll do well on the other.

Thank you so much for your advises! I will complete my ALEKS practice first and probably attempt the CLEP exam with the Modern States voucher. I have one more question: which online BSCS do you recommend that meet the following requirements:
a) It is offered from a CAE (Center of Academic Excellence) designated institution
b) Low credit hour total cost (definitely less than $400, which includes the tuition+per credit fees). Not intention to mess with student loans.
c) Reasonable prerequisites for non-STEM degree holders (I have BA).
From my research I found only the FHSU BSCS ($218 credit hour). Another option would be the Middle Georgia State University BSIT with concentration in Software Engineering ($300-330 per credit hour and it has the ABET accreditation) but it is not BSCS. I like very much the University of Illinois Springfield BSCS but it's very expensive ($421 credit hour). If you are aware of another program please let me know.

[shadowgem]

I have the unique experience of having taken both the ASU course and the CLEP for College Algebra. Note that with the ASU class, your entire grade is based on the exam, so there's no real difference between it and the CLEP except that ASU costs $400 more. If you like the ALEKS setup in the ASU class, then once you've completed that material, take the CLEP. If you don't pass, then try the final exam for ASU. Note that the practice exam is almost identical to the actual exam, so if you can do well on the one you'll do well on the other.

Thank you so much for your advises! I will complete my ALEKS practice first and probably attempt the CLEP exam with the Modern States voucher. I have one more question: which online BSCS do you recommend that meet the following requirements:
a) It is offered from a CAE (Center of Academic Excellence) designated institution
b) Low credit hour total cost (definitely less than $400, which includes the tuition+per credit fees). Not intention to mess with student loans.
c) Reasonable prerequisites for non-STEM degree holders (I have BA).
From my research I found only the FHSU BSCS ($218 credit hour). Another option would be the Middle Georgia State University BSIT with concentration in Software Engineering ($300-330 per credit hour and it has the ABET accreditation) but it is not BSCS. I like very much the University of Illinois Springfield BSCS but it's very expensive ($421 credit hour). If you are aware of another program please let me know.

Have you researched Excelsior's programs? They are a CAE designated institution. While the tuition is higher than other options you listed, they have lower residency requirements than many other schools, and they do allow you to transfer in up to 113 credit hours for their BSCS program and their BSIT program. Also if you complete 2 courses via Straigherline, they have a Partnership agreement that will reduce the tuition to $410 per credit hour if you complete 12 credits with Excelsior online. They award credit for IT certifications, ACE providers ect so it may be possible to complete a good portion of the degree requirements using outside sources that are cheaper than taking the courses directly through them. It could be worth looking into if you haven't already ruled them out.

[Grinddude]

I have the unique experience of having taken both the ASU course and the CLEP for College Algebra. Note that with the ASU class, your entire grade is based on the exam, so there's no real difference between it and the CLEP except that ASU costs $400 more. If you like the ALEKS setup in the ASU class, then once you've completed that material, take the CLEP. If you don't pass, then try the final exam for ASU. Note that the practice exam is almost identical to the actual exam, so if you can do well on the one you'll do well on the other.

Thank you so much for your advises! I will complete my ALEKS practice first and probably attempt the CLEP exam with the Modern States voucher. I have one more question: which online BSCS do you recommend that meet the following requirements:
a) It is offered from a CAE (Center of Academic Excellence) designated institution
b) Low credit hour total cost (definitely less than $400, which includes the tuition+per credit fees). Not intention to mess with student loans.
c) Reasonable prerequisites for non-STEM degree holders (I have BA).
From my research I found only the FHSU BSCS ($218 credit hour). Another option would be the Middle Georgia State University BSIT with concentration in Software Engineering ($300-330 per credit hour and it has the ABET accreditation) but it is not BSCS. I like very much the University of Illinois Springfield BSCS but it's very expensive ($421 credit hour). If you are aware of another program please let me know.

Have you researched Excelsior's programs? They are a CAE designated institution. While the tuition is higher than other options you listed, they have lower residency requirements than many other schools, and they do allow you to transfer in up to 113 credit hours for their BSCS program and their BSIT program. Also if you complete 2 courses via Straigherline, they have a Partnership agreement that will reduce the tuition to $410 per credit hour if you complete 12 credits with Excelsior online. They award credit for IT certifications, ACE providers ect so it may be possible to complete a good portion of the degree requirements using outside sources that are cheaper than taking the courses directly through them. It could be worth looking into if you haven't already ruled them out.

I checked Excelsior but unfortunately they don't have a BSCS program. Only BS in Cybersecurity and IT (no soft developing concentration). If there was a Computer Science program I would definitely be interested.

[Grinddude]

One more question: for schools that doesn't accept CLEP-DSST, which is the cheapest online regionally accredited college/university who offer the following credit courses:

a) Fundamentals of Computing II (objectives: Be able to design, implement, and apply data structures based on specifications of abstract data types. Apply concepts and techniques from object-oriented programming. Perform fundamental testing and debugging techniques. Perform fundamental maintenance activities. Perform fundamental time and space analysis on algorithms.)

b) Discreet Structures

c) Introductions to algorithms

d) Computer Organization & Assembly Language Programming (objectives: Stored Program Computers, hardware and software components; data representation, instruction sets, addressing modes; assembly language programming; linkers, loader)

e) Operating Systems/ Advanced Operating Systems

f) Computer Architecture

I would be grateful if someone could send me some info on those courses. TESU doesn't have all of them and it's pretty expensive.

[shadowgem]

One more question: for schools that doesn't accept CLEP-DSST, which is the cheapest online regionally accredited college/university who offer the following credit courses:

a) Fundamentals of Computing II (objectives: Be able to design, implement, and apply data structures based on specifications of abstract data types. Apply concepts and techniques from object-oriented programming. Perform fundamental testing and debugging techniques. Perform fundamental maintenance activities. Perform fundamental time and space analysis on algorithms.)

b) Discreet Structures

c) Introductions to algorithms

d) Computer Organization & Assembly Language Programming (objectives: Stored Program Computers, hardware and software components; data representation, instruction sets, addressing modes; assembly language programming; linkers, loader)

e) Operating Systems/ Advanced Operating Systems

f) Computer Architecture

I would be grateful if someone could send me some info on those courses. TESU doesn't have all of them and it's pretty expensive.

Are you looking for courses that will transfer into TESU, or are you planning to take courses offered by TESU to transfer into another school?

[Grinddude]

One more question: for schools that doesn't accept CLEP-DSST, which is the cheapest online regionally accredited college/university who offer the following credit courses:

a) Fundamentals of Computing II (objectives: Be able to design, implement, and apply data structures based on specifications of abstract data types. Apply concepts and techniques from object-oriented programming. Perform fundamental testing and debugging techniques. Perform fundamental maintenance activities. Perform fundamental time and space analysis on algorithms.)

b) Discreet Structures

c) Introductions to algorithms

d) Computer Organization & Assembly Language Programming (objectives: Stored Program Computers, hardware and software components; data representation, instruction sets, addressing modes; assembly language programming; linkers, loader)

e) Operating Systems/ Advanced Operating Systems

f) Computer Architecture

I would be grateful if someone could send me some info on those courses. TESU doesn't have all of them and it's pretty expensive.

Are you looking for courses that will transfer into TESU, or are you planning to take courses offered by TESU to transfer into another school?

These are Auburn undergraduate courses and prerequisites for a graduate ptogram. (17 credit hours/$572 per credit, total $9724!!!). I only mentioned TESU as an institution that might offer online credit courses relevant to Auburn's for credit transfer. It offers some that looks similar but I cannot find them at Auburn transfer matrix (http://www.auburn.edu/administration/reg...esByCourse) and the credit hour cost is expensive. Are there other cheaper solutions?